"Ben Shelton is a real bully";"It's embarrassing" - Fans slam American for heated exchange with Flavio Cobolli at Canadian Open

Fans criticized Ben Shelton for getting into a heated exchange with Flavio Cobolli following their Canadian Open fourth-round clash. The American later clarified that there was no bad blood between them and that the issue had been resolved.

On August 3, fourth seed Shelton took on 13th seed Cobolli in the fourth round of the Masters 1000 event in Toronto. The American started off strong, winning the first set, but the Italian fought back to win the second. In the decider, Cobolli led 5-3 before falling 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(1).

Soon after the match ended, a gesture made by Cobolli displeased Shelton. The On athletes had a heated exchange over it at the net and later on as well. A video of the same was shared on X, and fans were unhappy with the 22-year-old American's conduct. Many have even called him a "bully."

"Shelton is a real bully. Another clown to add to the long list," one fan wrote. "Bullies enjoy being bullies. Especially when they have an audience. Hence the shirtless demonstration," another fan wrote. "Shelton trying to intimidate, it’s embarrassing," a third fan added.

Here are some more fan reactions to Ben Shelton's heated exchange with Flavio Cobolli.

"Cobolli is a good dude. Ben just wanted something to be upset about lol," one fan wrote. "Ben’s not a good enough player or dude to carry on like that," another fan wrote. "Still celebrates like he’s in college. You’re in the pros, act like one!" yet another fan wrote.

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Ben Shelton clears the air surrounding his heated exchange with Flavio Cobolli at the Canadian Open

Ben Shelton at the National Bank Open - Source: Getty

Things got heated during the final-set tiebreak when Ben Shelton reacted to a gesture Flavio Cobolli made, thinking it was aimed at him. After the match, the two had a brief argument at the net and continued the conversation on the sidelines, where Cobolli explained he was just frustrated with himself for letting a 5-3 lead slip away.

Shelton addressed the moment during his on-court interview, saying:

"He just made a gesture in the tiebreaker and asked him about it. He said it wasn’t towards me, so we’re cool."

Later in his press conference, the American made it clear he didn’t want to add fuel to the story. He said:

"We talked about it. He said it wasn’t towards me. We’re good. We talked about it in the locker room, so I’m not going to answer any more questions about that. There’s no story, we’re good, that’s it."

Up next for Shelton is a tense quarterfinal clash against Alex de Minaur. This will be their first clash on the ATP Tour with the Aussie in fine form, coming off a title run in Washington.

Edited by Mitali